


Just Can't Wait For Love

by shes_dead_wrapped_in_plastic



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Closeted Character, Confessions, Halram, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Period-Typical Homophobia, Riverparents, parentdale, young halram
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23048689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shes_dead_wrapped_in_plastic/pseuds/shes_dead_wrapped_in_plastic
Summary: Heavy rain gives Hal and Hiram a chance to talk.
Relationships: Hal Cooper/Hiram Lodge
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Just Can't Wait For Love

**Author's Note:**

> See end of work for notes

"Do you think it'll ever stop?" asked Hal, brow furrowing as he craned his head forward to look up at the dark sky through the windshield.

"Maybe, one day." Was the only response he received.

Hal narrowed his eyes and gave Hiram a sidelong look. "Cryptic..."

Hiram huffed out a quiet laugh, flopping back against the headrest.

The time was 11:45 PM. They'd been to see The Nightmare Before Christmas at the Twilight drive-in. It had been Hal's suggestion, though he must say he'd found it a little too strange for his tastes. Hiram seemed to have enjoyed it enough though, taking some kind of twisted pleasure in watching the residents of Halloween Town distort the wholesome nature of the holiday. They'd been on their way to Pop's when the sky practically burst open above their heads, large beads of rain crashing against the roof and bouncing off the tarmac. Hal had pulled over immediately, his truck slowing to a stop slightly off the road and into the treeline.

That had been 15 minutes ago and the rain was showing no sign of letting up anytime soon. He let his eyes fall closed and his head gently drop against the window, deciding to use this time to mull over his Pop's order.

'𝘈 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢-'

The 𝘴𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘬 of a lighter wrenched him from his thoughts and he whipped his head to the right to see Hiram sparking a joint.

"Are you fucking kidding me, dude? You know my parents will kill me if they smell that shit on me!" Hal exclaimed, rolling down his window before quickly realising his mistake and rolling it back up with haste, letting out a disgruntled whine as he was splattered with water. Hiram couldn't help but giggle at his idiot companion, a stream of smoke rising from his amused pout.

"Oh come on, don't be such a pussy. Why don't you just try it already? Come to the dark side Hal," he waved the spliff in front of Hal's face in a circular motion, making him cough and attempt to bat the smoke away with his hand, "We have...okay well I'm not sure what we have but you can be one of the 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴."

That coaxed a bark of laughter from the now damp boy, and he relaxed slightly in the driver's seat. "Yeah, no I think I'll pass, thanks."

Silence fell over them, barring the sound of the rain that continued to beat down against the windows like a drunken roommate who'd dropped their key down the sewer grate again.

𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳

Hiram shifted in his seat, bringing his right knee up to his chest and wrapping his left arm around it. It was clear from the look on his face and the pursing and unpursing of his lips that he wanted to say something, but was conflicted about doing so. Deciding to let him think on it, Hal just watched the droplets trickle down the glass, his money being on the left one reaching the bottom first. He was just about to be proven wrong when Hiram finally spoke.

"Hal," he began, voice uncharacteristically small and uncertain. "Do you- I mean..." He sighed. "What are we?"

While he had sort of been expecting that, Hal still wasn't sure what to say. He'd been wondering the same thing a lot himself recently, since Alice had left and whatever this thing was that had always existed between him and Hiram, dormant, had sparked to life. He knew the way he felt about Hiram wasn't the way a guy was supposed to feel about another guy, especially not their best friend. However, that didn't change the butterflies he felt in his stomach whenever Hiram laughed or the palpitations he got when he looked at him or the tingling he felt beneath his skin when he touched him. Any time he tried to really think about it though, his mother's disapproving glare popped into his head and he had to shut it down.

He just... wasn't like Hiram, nobody was. At least, nobody from around here. Hiram, who seemed to be from somewhere far, far away from the sleepy town of Riverdale. Hiram, who seemed to have come from some distant future lightyears away from now. Hiram, who somehow wore extravagant silks and furs and diamonds and made them look natural, like a second skin. Hiram, who liked both girls 𝘢𝘯𝘥 boys, like the people his parents always insisted would burn in the fiery pits of Hell. But Hal couldn't picture Hiram ever ending up in a place like that. Despite what the hushed whispers of the townspeople may imply, Hiram was not a bad person, not really. And besides, some smooth words and a subtle wink would be all it would take for Hiram to land himself a spot in the VIP lounge, drinking margaritas with Lucifer himself. Hal chuckled at the thought, then realized he hadn't answered the question.

"I...don't know. I mean," he paused, debating for a moment whether he should lie but ultimately deciding it was probably time to face the music. "I... I really like you, Hiram. Like, 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 like you. But-"

"But what?" Hiram snapped, suddenly defensive. "But it's gross? Because we're both guys?"

"No! I mean, yes- No! I just-" Hal pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes with a sigh. "I don't think it's gross, okay? 𝘐 don't. My parents, on the other hand..."

Hiram choked out a humourless laugh. "And...what? You think my parents are ecstatic about the whole thing? Do you not remember the time Featherhead caught me and Ricky Finnchard making out in the locker room and called my dad? I could barely walk for 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴, Hal. 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴. And you wanna fucking talk about parents? Okay."

A pang of guilt resonated somewhere in Hal's chest, quickly followed by the familiar rage that always began to creep up his spine when he thought about Hiram's father.

"You're right. I'm sorry." He conceded, bowing his head.

The tension in Hiram's shoulders seemed to dissipate almost immediately, and he too felt mildly guilty for his outburst.

𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳

"I really like you too. And I know neither of our parents would be the most... 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, we'll say," his fingers curled into quotation marks around the 'supportive'. "But we're 17. Nobody has to know anything now and then we'll be 18 and going to college and free to do whatever the hell we want with nothing anybody can do to stop us."

Hal looked up to meet Hiram's eyes, almost taken aback by the tenderness he saw there. He raised a hand to stroke the soft skin of one tanned cheek and suddenly felt the urge to cry for some reason.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered.

An eye roll. "I know." Hiram smirked, cracking the window open just enough to toss the spliff-end out then grabbing the collar of Hal's varsity jacket and yanking him forwards to bring their lips together, hard.

Hal tasted of buttery popcorn and Orbit gum, Hiram of smoke and liquorice and cherry chapstick.

They quickly found a rhythm, teeth clacking and hands roaming eachother's bodies. Hal's snaked their way into Hiram's raven hair and 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, drawing a soft moan from his throat.

"Aaah!" Hal half-cried out, half-gasped when Hiram nipped at his lower lip with his teeth.

Hiram clambered over the gearstick, less graceful than Hal ever remembered seeing him, and planted himself in Hal's lap, effectively straddling him. Hal wrapped his arms around his slender waist, first bringing his hands to rest flat against the small of his back before slowly trailing them down to grab at Hirams's ass. Their movements got more and more frenzied and less and less coordinated with every passing second, at this point neither of them able to differentiate between the noises coming from them or the other.

𝘏𝘖𝘕𝘒

It was Hiram's elbow brushing the car horn that gave them pause, both of them startling slightly. The only sound in the truck was their laboured breathing, though you could practically hear the humming of the frenetic energy that hung in the air.

"The rain stopped." Hiram pointed out, looking up, his face warm and flushed.

Holding his breath for a moment to listen, Hal realized he was right.

Everything suddenly felt very still, the kind of still you might find if a bomb were to drop and wipe out an entire populous. The kind of still that can only ever be present in the wake of something chaotic or intensely 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦.

"So it has."

The smile that appeared on his face when he felt the kiss on his forehead was completely involuntary, and didn't disappear even after Hiram untangled himself from Hal and pushed himself up, collapsing back into the passenger seat, pulling his black fur coat tighter around his shoulders and checking his watch. It read 11:57 PM.

"Well, I don't know about you Hal," he started, turning to look him in the eye, "But I could really go for a milkshake right about now."

They both laughed, though at what they probably couldn't tell you, as Hal turned the key, the engine spluttering back to life.

When they finally arrived at the diner, they placed their orders and took their seats in the booth in the furthest corner.

Pop Tate couldn't help the fond, knowing smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth when he saw their fingers loosely intertwined underneath the table.

'𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.'

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading.  
> This is the first fic I have written in a longass time, so I'm definitely a little rusty so please, any feedback would mean the world to me.  
> This ship is so criminally underrated, I just 𝘩𝘢𝘥 to write something. Hopefully I'll be motivated enough to write more at some point :)  
> Title is taken from Flawless by The Neighborhood


End file.
